My smartphone has become an indispensable part of my life. A day without my smartphone virtually means being disconnected from the world, especially in technology-savvy Korea.

Just earlier this week, I was again the beneficiary of mobile technology as I watched one of my favorite K-pop bands, BTS, perform at the American Music Awards on the handheld screen of my smartphone. Besides the performance on stage at the music awards, the BTS boys posted online photographs and videos showing their red carpet walk, behind-the-stage scenes, happy moments with celebrities and cheers from their fans. Over 20 million tweets and over 20 million comments and videos were posted on Google on BTS's American Music Awards performance.

As I kept following some of the Twitter and Instagram uploads, I found myself spending far more time than I had intended scrolling down some of the millions of online postings. Suddenly, I asked myself, "Am I becoming addicted to my smartphone? How much time is too much time to spend on a smartphone?"

A recent local study found that 64.3 percent of smartphone users between the ages of 19 and 59 find it difficult to get by without their smartphones. It proves the growing influence of smartphones as over 73 percent of the respondents in their 20s and over 59 percent in their 50s said their smartphones were an essential part of their daily lives.

Some 58 percent of the respondents said they felt "insecure" after leaving home without their smartphones and 66.4 percent said the smartphone is today's most important digital device.

Over 75 percent of the respondents in their 20s said they take their smartphones to the restroom and 67.6 percent said they leave their smartphones by their bedsides at night.

The smartphone's efficiency seems to outgrow the use of PCs as 64.1 percent responded they use their smartphones for searching the web, a whopping increase from 23.4 percent in 2014.

On the other hand, many smartphone users feel the negative effects of the technology's development. Over 26 percent of respondents said they cannot separate work from private time and 38 percent said they have less leisure time. Some 43 percent agree they have difficulty developing thoughts and logical thinking.

When it comes to children, the problem seems far more serious.

A recent report by the nonprofit group Common Sense Media finds that 49 percent of children in the U.S. watch TV or use their smartphones before bedtime. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends an hour gap between such activities and sleep. Other key findings show that children aged eight or younger spend an average of 58 minutes a day on the phone, a big increase from five minutes in 2011.

The situation doesn't seem much different in Korea. Some 17.9 percent of children between three and nine years old were found "overly dependent on their smartphones," according to the National Information Society Agency.

Tim Farnum, a father of two youngsters in Denver, Colorado, raised the alarm over the issue by creating a non-profit called Parents Against Underage Smartphones (PAUS) to keep smartphones out of children's hands. PAUS has drafted a ballot initiative calling for a smartphone sales ban to children under the age of 13. Farnum compared his proposed law to similar age restrictions on cigarettes, alcohol, and pornography.

Another such movement is taking place in Ireland. Jim Daly of Fine Gael, a liberal-conservative and Christian democratic political party, is drafting a bill that would make it illegal for retailers to sell mobile phones with internet access to children under 14. It could also make it illegal for parents to allow their children born after 2015 to own a portable device."Essentially you're giving your child of seven or eight years of age a mobile device that allows them to access unlimited pornography of every type," Daly said in an interview with a local media.

"When people ask me, ‘what age should my child be before I buy them such a device?' I reply, ‘whatever age you are happy with them viewing pornography,'" Daly said.

He claims that handing a smartphone to a young child can be compared to "robbing children of their childhood."Well-knowing the charm and addictiveness of the smartphone, I agree that guidance and regulation need to be introduced for online safety and for developing "child-friendly" smartphones.

Here are some of the questions conducted by the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction for a smartphone compulsion test.

1. Do you find yourself spending more time on your cell or smartphone than you realize?

2. Do you find yourself spending more time texting, tweeting or emailing as opposed to talking to people in person?

3. Do you wish you could be a little less involved with your cell or smartphone?

4. Do you sleep with your cell or smartphone (turned on) under your pillow or next to your bed regularly?

5. Do you find yourself viewing and answering texts, tweets and emails at all hours of the day and night ― even when it means interrupting other things you are doing?

6. Do you find yourself mindlessly passing time on a regular basis by staring at your cell or smartphone?

7. Do you feel ill-at-ease or uncomfortable when you accidentally leave your smartphone in the car or at home, have no service or have a broken phone?

8. When you eat meals, is your cell or smartphone always part of the table place setting?

9. When your cell or smartphone rings, beeps or buzzes, do you feel an intense urge to check for texts, tweets, emails, updates, and other alerts.?

10. Do you find yourself mindlessly checking your cell or smartphone many times a day, even when you know there is likely nothing new or important to see?